‘On the girl’s side, they all
wait for the blood. On the boy’s side they take that
cloth that has been covered with blood and throw it
in between the girl’s family and the girl’s family will
shout and be very happy.'

Winnie Powell

aa

While various cultures around the world prize virgin brides,
few are more fervent than the I-Kiribati. Virginity
tests are no longer universal in Kiribati, but they are still
experienced by most bridal couples on most wedding nights.
A bride who proves her virginity will be honoured throughout
her island and beyond. A woman who fails to prove her virtue
may be instantly divorced and disowned by her family.

During an I-Kiribati wedding night, which is often an extremely
anxious evening for both families, newly weds consummate their
marriage while lying on a large piece of white cloth. Moments
later, female members of the groom’s family will gather up
the material for examination. If bloodstains are present,
and there is no reason for suspicion, the groom’s family will
throw the cloth amongst members of the bride’s family. And
the bride’s family will be ecstatic.

To inform everyone of their daughter’s virtue, the bride’s
parents will tour their island from one end to the other.
In what is known as the red cloth ceremony, they will take
the bloodstained material to distant family members, sometimes
on other islands.

Thrilled to find their young relative was ‘well kept’, members
of her extended family will wrap themselves and their possessions
in the cloth. The whole community will delight in the notion
that young, I-Kiribati women are still virgins when they marry.

However, the height of this joy may be matched by the depth
of the despair experienced when a young bride returns an unstained
cloth. If there is reason to suspect she was not a virgin,
an investigation unfolds. A senior, female member of the groom’s
family will lead the process. Garments will be inspected.
The bride may be examined internally. If the verdict concludes
that she was not a virgin, her family may conduct an investigation
of their own. If, in the end, everyone agrees that she was
not ‘pure’, the consequences will depend on the intensity
of the humiliation felt by her husband, her husband’s family
and her family.

It is common for a groom to ‘send back’ his bride – automatically
divorcing her. If he continues with the marriage, he may punish
his wife (sometimes violently) for a long time to come. The
girl’s family may disown her.

But it is sometimes possible to escape these disastrous outcomes,
even when both families know the bride is not a virgin. According
to Linda Uan, a resident of South Tarawa, an early
confession may be the key to avoiding widespread humiliation.

'Normally,
about three days before the wedding … all the family
will come together to be part of the preparation … at
that stage there will be the respected elders of those
separate families coming. That is her time. She gets
called in the evening and she gets questioned – ‘Are
you a virgin?’ You can’t help but be honest, otherwise
you suffer the consequences.’
Linda Uan

b

If a young woman confesses to having lost her virginity and
her wedding proceeds without any expectation of a red cloth
ceremony, the pressure may be off for both families. If the
woman has lost her virginity to the man she’s about to marry,
the families may agree to orchestrate the staining of the
cloth and continue with the red cloth ceremony, regardless.

If, on the other hand, the girl has lost her virginity to
someone other than her husband, the couple may decide to take
part in a group wedding, or to marry in a registry office.

These alternatives to a potentially dangerous I-Kiribati
wedding night may not be ideal, after all, there is no virgin
bride, but they greatly reduce any sense of outrage or public
humiliation felt by both families.